1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable container or box for storing athletic equipment and clothing after it has been used, such as hockey clothing and equipment, football clothing and equipment, etc. The clothing and equipment often will be wet from snow, rain and/or perspiration. The drying box or container enables the clothing and equipment to be dried in temporary living quarters, such as a motel room while the player is at a road game, by placing the clothing and equipment into the container and plugging in an electrical cord for energizing fans and a heating pad in the container. Also, the drying box or container can be stored in a player's garage and plugged into an outlet when used
2. Description of the Prior Art Heretofore various analogous and non-analogous devices have been proposed for heating and drying articles, such as clothing and sports equipment. Examples of the previously proposed analogous and non-analogous devices are disclosed in the following analogous and non-analogous U.S. patents:
U.S. Pat. No. Patentee Des. 394,926 Lindsay 4,180,919 Baltes 4,625,432 Baltes 4,682,424 Irving 4,812,621 Brotherton et al. 4,869,872 Baltes 5,369,892 Dhaemers 5,546,678 Dhaemers 5,592,750 Eichten
The Dhaemers U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,369,892 and 5,546,678 are directed in particular to an armoire for receiving articles such as clothing, sports equipment, hockey gear shoes, and other objects for drying them, for sanitizing or sterilizing them to at least some degree, and to filter out odors flowing out of the armoire.
The Eichten U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,750 discloses a tubular rack for supporting clothing, the tubes on the rack having holes or perforations therein whereby heated air from a fragrance dispenser or deodorizer can come down through the holes to the sports equipment supported on the rack.